Pride of Egypt Slots
If you could list slot games by the popularity of their themes, then right at the top of the pyramid you would find slots based around ancient Egypt. For reasons that have long been forgotten, there are literally hundreds of games, most of which seem to be filled with virtually identical symbols. Scarab beetles, the Gods Anubis and Horus, Cleopatra and Pharaoh masks populate a vast selection of games. Japanese games developer Konami perhaps deserve a virtual pat on the back then, as their Pride of Egypt video slot does away with all of these, instead giving you flags, daggers, rings and ornate fans over the five reels. The name of this slot machine comes from the lions who are the top paying symbols and they have helped to make this one of the mane games in the Konami range.
It’s not just the popular topic that draws gamblers to these reels though, as Pride of Egypt has some interesting bonus features. Wild substitutions will boost the frequency of winning spins when the lion acts as other symbols to complete paylines, but it’s the chance to land free spins with multipliers, reels with matched symbols, stacked symbols and even a progressive jackpot that really attracts players to this game. Of course, the jackpot payout only happens when the perfect combination of symbols appears, but even the possibility of such a massive reward makes this a slot worth looking at.
Talking of looks, this is an attractive game, with some nice animations. The Egyptian theme is fairly subtle, with a pyramid sitting above the reels, but none of the ornate columns and Sphinx’s that so many similar games pack the screens with. Ready to venture once again into ancient Egypt? Then let’s see what treasures the Pride of Egypt has to offer us.
Rewarding Symbols
Landing three, four, or five examples of the same symbol across payline from the left side will be enough to claim a prize, although if there’s a gap in the sequence, it won’t count. Fortunately, the wild symbol can act as others if it’s in the right place to bridge any breaks in a continuous run.
Other symbols are broadly split into two types. There’s the traditional playing card icons, which will return the smaller prizes, and the higher-value picture symbols. The Pride of Egypt comes with the popular Action Stacked Symbols feature that’s seen across a number of slot machines from Konami. Before each spin, the game software randomly picks a symbol that will be stacked across any reel it lands on.
While this should make it easier for the chosen symbol to cross enough paylines for a win, if it lands on reel one, on the left side, it will be copied to other reels. That makes it even more likely that you will get a winning combination from this symbol and as it’s possible for two, three, four, or all five reels to be filled with it, you could be looking at a big payday.
Hundreds of Free Spins
The mysterious image of a pyramid is the scatter symbol. This golden icon, which has the eyes of a lion staring at you from the top, and a background of stars and planets, looks great and triggers a fantastic bonus round when it lands in three or more places at once.
The pyramids rotate in position, adding free spins with each turn, and while the basic feature has just 15 extra spins for you, it’s possible that they keep on turning and award a massive 600 extra games. That makes it one of the most rewarding free spins features we’ve seen and to make them even sweeter, any wins will be doubled in value throughout.
That’s not the end of the story though. Before the free games begin, the screen changes to show a set of scales. You can choose to have the spins start immediately or take an instant coin win. The amount of the instant win goes up in relation to the number of bonus games that you have won and perhaps it’s a worthwhile option, as standing around waiting for hundreds of spins to play out could get a bit boring. It’s a matter of personal preference. If you choose the free games and then change your mind half way through, you can activate the Balance of Fortune at any time, which ends the spins and gives you a coin award based on how many were still left to play out.
Factor in the chance for an instant progressive jackpot award, and the Pride of Egypt slot becomes a game that all spinners should try out, even if they think they have seen more than enough of Egyptian themed games.
Betting Options
While there’s no option to play free Pride of Egypt video slots, just 0.01 per line is needed to start playing for real cash prizes. It’s got 20, 30, or 40 paylines, depending on where you are playing this land-based slot machine, and the size of the linked progressive jackpot also depends on the casino.
If and when we get an online and mobile optimised version of the game, some of these details will change, and something else that will be controllable is the fairly over-the-top soundtrack. It’s a seemingly endless barrage of classical tunes, beeps, whistles and electronic noises which a lot of players are going to mute pretty quickly.
More Trips Down the Nile
If you like the look of feline Pharaohs, then why not play the Cat Queen video slot from Casino Technology. It sticks to traditional beetle, Gods and Ankh symbols, but the Queen is a wild symbol who helps to complete extra combinations for you, while 15 free games are triggered by the pyramids. This game gives you the option to gamble winnings, doubling your prize if you guess what colour a face-down playing card is going to be. Get it right and you can keep on going, doubling the value each time until the gamble high limit is reached. Take care though, as any wrong guess loses the round along with the initial win.
Temple Cats, from Endorphina, has beautifully-designed symbols of the cats that were worshiped by the ancients. Statues of black cats will award free spins and during these, symbols can expand across reels to boost the winning potential. It works the same way as the Action Stacked Symbols in Pride of Egypt, but of course, you get fewer spins to claim prizes in.
Worth Roaring About?
Soundtrack apart, Pride of Egypt is a top-notch slot game. It manages to follow a hugely popular topic, but with a special twist that makes it look a little different to other games of this type. As well as the impressive design, the features are also outstanding. Having symbols copied from the left-side reel to others, potentially right across the game, should lead to some high-paying spins.
With hundreds of free spins to claim, plus the choice to skip them and just pocket some cash, we’re sure that Pride of Egypt will take it’s place as one of the most popular slots in the Konami range.
